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The full article:
Ross Barkley: Police investigate 'racist' Sun article about Everton player

Ross Barkley has been at Everton since 2005
Merseyside Police are investigating allegations that a newspaper article about Everton midfielder Ross Barkley constitutes a "racial hate crime".

Barkley, 23, was punched in a Liverpool bar last weekend in what his lawyer described as an "unprovoked attack".

In an article on Friday, Sun columnist Kelvin MacKenzie compared Barkley - who has a grandfather born in Nigeria - to a "gorilla at the zoo".

Police confirmed they were investigating the "full circumstances".

MacKenzie targeted both England international Barkley and the city of Liverpool in the article - which has since been taken off The Sun website - saying:

Barkley is "one of our dimmest footballers", also calling him "thick".
His eyes make him "certain not only are the lights not on, there is definitely nobody at home", adding: "I get a similar feeling when seeing a gorilla at the zoo."
Men with similar "pay packets" in Liverpool are "drug dealers" and in prison.
Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson told BBC Sport he reported the article to the police for a "racial slur".

Speaking to BBC Sport, Anderson said: "Not only is it racist in a sense that he is of mixed-race descent, equally it's a racial stereotype of Liverpool. It is racist and prehistoric."

Anderson later tweeted to say he had reported the article to Merseyside Police and the Independent Press Standards Organisation.

Alongside the article, The Sun published adjoining pictures on their website with the caption "Could Everton's Ross Barkley represent the missing link between man and beast?" The picture was later removed.

MacKenzie was editor of The Sun when it published a front-page article headlined 'Hillsborough: The Truth' in the aftermath of the 1989 disaster at Sheffield Wednesday's football stadium.

The article claimed Liverpool fans were to blame for the tragedy, in which 96 people died. MacKenzie apologised in 2012.

Last year's landmark Hillsborough inquests recorded that the 96 fans were unlawfully killed and that Liverpool supporters at the FA Cup semi-final had played no role in causing the tragedy.

Burnley midfielder Joey Barton, who was an Everton youth player, tweeted: "Those comments about Ross Barkley, a young working-class lad, are disgusting. Then add in the fact he is mixed race! It becomes outrageous."

I don't know too much about MacKenzie but the responses to him says it all really and for me the the fact that he is in the employ of the S*n is a death sentence without even reading any of the his previous drivel... At the same time I hope more people **** on that clown Barkley

He really has a vendetta against Liverpool and it's people. Very strange piece from a man already hated in the city.

Why on earth would he have a vendetta?

All the City of Liverpool and Football fans have done is call him out numerous times.
Made him look racist, bigoted, stupid. Proven him to be a liar on many occasions, complained about him whenever he appears on TV, turned a lot of people against him and made him into UK media's most hated hack.

All the City of Liverpool and Football fans have done is call him out numerous times.
Made him look racist, bigoted, stupid. Proven him to be a liar on many occasions, complained about him whenever he appears on TV, turned a lot of people against him and made him into UK media's most hated hack.

Why on earth would he not like us?

You say that as if us hating him and telling the truth about him justifies the lies he tells and gets away with. Pity you think like that.

Dreadful. But a sign of our times. McKenzie, Hopkins, Littlejohn, Liddle theyre all at it now. Before these scum used to be vetted and it was rare that these sort of things made the public domain (apart from Hillsborough obviously) but now you can say what you like thanks to Brexit..these are the times we now live in where anything can be said.

This is appalling and should be the subject of a Police investigation, it is that bad. I feel sorry for Barkley as he is (literally) a bit of a punch bag at the moment.

The defence of the piece was equally bad. "Columnist are supposed to have strong views that provoke debate" What debate was this supposed to provoke? It's a piece designed to primarily insult and denigrate one person, and then secondly to denigrate the people and city of Liverpool. It's bull ****.

I had no idea that Ross Barkley's grandfather was Nigerian - and I don't think MacKenzie did either.

The fact that this could land him in big trouble makes it all the more sweeter for me. Lock him up!!!

That shouldn't matter in the first place. You don't have to have someone's picture in your hand or even need to have a sense of what their racial/ethnic background is to know that you no longer cannot be going out in public and describing another human being to gorillas, monkeys, apes, whatever....

The fact that he did use those words (knowingly or unknowingly) and then they have come back to bite him, it would be real justice if that rag actually had morals and standards and a conscience enough to fire this *******. Their history suggests they won't which says everything you need to know about that rag. Their response.....A Sun spokesperson said: "Columnists are supposed to have strong opinions that provoke debate among the readers. However their views do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper." ....disgusting beyond words.

At the end of the day, the racist aspects of this isn't even the biggest concern. Why would anyone just decide one day I want to tear down and rip to shreds a young player using the such reprehensible, deplorable, hurtful words, is mindboggling. Mackenzie has very serious issues and it's stunning that he continues to get a platform from which to continue his hideous behavior.

The defence of the piece was equally bad. "Columnist are supposed to have strong views that provoke debate" What debate was this supposed to provoke? It's a piece designed to primarily insult and denigrate one person, and then secondly to denigrate the people and city of Liverpool. It's bull ****.

Felt the exact same way myself, mate.

The worst corporate response is always "but the views described by <insert jackass here> do not represent the views of our organization. Really? That might be so before the person utters those awful views but it is incumbent of that paper or news organization to take decisive punitive action, not hide behind pathetic legalese. Otherwise, everything that they do or don't do from that point is fair game reflection of their tacit approval of the views expressed. WTF is up with that **** paper, FFS!

All these tabloids are the cancer of England, worst newspapers in the world by far

Agree totally.
Why is it necessary to have columnists who provoke debate by being nasty. Does this provoke debate or hate crimes is the question id ask.
Why is this man (McKenzie) not locked up for provoking hatred and for being racist to boot. The Sun's defence is just not credible.

The Sun should be taken off the newspaper racks. Anyone wishing to buy should have to take it from under wraps from the top shelf.

Agree totally.
Why is it necessary to have columnists who provoke debate by being nasty. Does this provoke debate or hate crimes is the question id ask.
Why is this man (McKenzie) not locked up for provoking hatred and for being racist to boot. The Sun's defence is just not credible.

The funny thing about this is that people defend the existence of garbage like this in the name of "freedom of speech". They should all be banned with inmediate effect.